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Read All Over celebrates the bookworm in all of us, showcasing readers in Vancouver and the books they love most. |
| Deryn Collier grew up in Ottawa and Montreal and is a graduate of McGill University. After a very short career as a federal bureaucrat she ran away to the mountains of BC where she has been ever since. She has worked in a log yard, a brewery, as a doctor recruiter and a communications consultant. |
| Deryn’s first novel Confined Space was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for best unpublished first crime novel by the Crime Writers of Canada. It was published in Canada by Simon & Schuster in June 2012. |
| Deryn lives in Nelson, BC with her family and blogs about crime fiction and life in the mountains. |
What books have changed your life?
I had an early transformational experience with the Nancy Drew novel The Hidden Staircase. I didn’t just read that book - I fell into it. And when I emerged, I was convinced that I was going to be a mystery author. I was only seven years old at the time.
Other than Nancy Drew, the book that has influenced me most is Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Do we have the ability to make choices, even when faced with great suffering? In my own writing I’m always exploring how my characters will answer that question in different situations. What choices do they and can make when it appears that they have no choices at all?
The one book you always recommend is...
City of Ice by John Farrow. I’m a Montrealer and in my opinion it’s the best crime novel set in my home town.
Where is your favourite place to crack open a book in Vancouver?
The main branch of the Vancouver Public Library. When I visit Vancouver I love to wander the stacks, looking for bizarre non-fiction titles to help my research. I don’t go looking for anything in particular, but rather will find an aisle that looks promising and browse. I love that I can write down a list of titles and go home to the Kootenays and order them through inter-library loan. I’m not sure that people in Vancouver know that their library feeds the minds of writers all across the province. We are very grateful for that.
What's next on your reading list?
My reading list is stocked with titles from the authors I just toured the Lower Mainland with. Next up is The Next One to Fall by Hilary Davidson. Hilary’s style is at once understated and gripping and her first novel, The Damage Done, was one of my favourite reads of 2011.
After that I will read The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton. I love his Ava Lee series. Both of these authors are set to make names for themselves in the crime fiction genre, and both are Canadian, which is very exciting.
Is this the genre you prefer (fiction/non-fiction/mystery etc.) and why?
Yes. Crime fiction – it’s pretty much all I read, and all I’ve ever read. Why? I love the feeling of resolution of finishing a good mystery and of knowing that order has been restored. And these days crime fiction is fast moving, entertaining and really well-written, so, why read anything else?
How do you like your books served up best – audio books, graphic novels, used paperbacks, library loaner, e-reader…
Living in a small town has taught me the importance of a local bookstore. I like a new paperback discovered on a wander through a well-stocked bookstore. Add to the mix a staff member who loves mysteries and it’s pretty much the perfect combination.
Do you have a favourite story with Vancouver connections?
I do read the occasional literary novel, and Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor is one of my favourites. There are scenes from that book that are just as vivid in my mind today as when I first read them 10 years ago.
Hilary Davidson, Deryn Collier, Ian Hamilton and Robin Spano at the Real Vancouver Crime event this past June at W2
Who is your favourite Vancouver/Lower Mainland writer?
Robin Spano – without a doubt! She’s got a fun, fresh style, but she’s also asking smart and current questions in her books. Death Plays Poker, which is set largely in Richmond, is my favourite so far. Robin read a preview of her next book at one of our events – a thriller set in Whistler that will be out next spring – and I can’t wait to read it!
Deryn Collier will be in Vancouver for the upcoming Vancouver International Writer's Festival for the All-Canadian Crime event on October 20th.
